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Lesson 8

We will evaluate two arguments that address mandatory vaccinations from two very different perspectives, one from 2015 that advocates for universal vaccination and one from 2019 that suggests we should mandate vaccinations with care. We will begin to think and write about our own perspectives based on the ideas introduced in this section, as well as previous texts in the unit that address this topic.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I evaluate the relevance and credibility of information, ideas, evidence, and reasoning in arguments for and against mandatory vaccinations?

  • Can I recognize points of connection among texts, textual elements, and perspectives to make logical, objective comparisons?

  • Can I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims that represent valid, evidence-based analysis?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Mandate Vaccination with Care,” Saad B. Omer, Cornelia Betsch, and Julie Leask, Springer Nature Limited, 2019
  • Digital Access
    • “The Public Good Versus Individual Freedom,” Michael Gerson, Real Clear Politics, 2015

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will discuss the argument presented in a 2015 op-ed article, “The Public Good Versus Individual Freedom,” and compare our delineations of its perspective, position, claims, and evidence.

With a partner, discuss the 2015 argument by Michael Gerson from RealClearPolitics, "The Public Good Versus Individual Freedom."

Compare the Delineating Arguments Tools you have completed for this text, analyzing the argument for its issue, perspective, position, major claims, and supporting evidence.

Discuss these two guiding questions from the Analyzing Ethical Issues Question Set:

Philosophical Issues and Approaches

  1. The Common Good: In what ways does the argument reflect consideration of the common good?

  2. Individual Rights and Personal Liberty: In what ways does the argument reflect consideration of individual rights or personal liberty?

As a class, discuss and debate whether Gerson’s arguments about the common good are convincing, and why.

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will work in groups to read and annotate a section from the 2019 article “Mandate Vaccination with Care” by Saad B. Omer, Cornelia Betsch, and Julia Leask.

In a small reading group, you will be assigned a section from the article "Mandate Vaccination with Care." In your group, you will read and annotate the section assigned to you.

As your group reads, consider the following questions for the section you are assigned:

General Questions

  1. What argument does the introduction make?

  2. How does the introduction preview what the authors will argue? Cite details from the text to support your answer.

  3. What effect does including a graph in the introduction have on the reader? Why would the authors choose to insert the graph here?

Section 1: Which Mandates Work?

  1. Concerning exemptions, the authors state that "having complex administrative procedures in place… reduces the number of parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated." Why do you think this is so?

  2. To what extent do you agree with the financial penalties for non-compliance with vaccinations mentioned here?

Section 2: Exemptions and Penalties

  1. The authors state that most of the data come from California and Washington. Why might these states be, or not be, a model for the rest of the country?

  2. In Australia, "parents had to get their child vaccinated to get assistance payments. And they could obtain non-medical exemptions only after they had discussed the issue with a health-care provider." To what extent would this same policy work in the US?

Section 3: Smart and Ethical - Use Multiple Interventions, Ensure Just Procedures

  1. What do the authors mean by making vaccines smart and ethical? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

  2. The authors mention citizen panels that hear evidence in other areas of health policy. In order for this to be enacted with vaccinations, who should be part of the panels, and who should appoint these people?

Section 4: Smart and Ethical - Make Penalties Proportionate, Monitor Safety and Compensate for Side Effects, Avoid Selective Mandates

  1. Concerning monetary penalties, the authors state that "care must be taken to ensure that they do not exacerbate social or health inequities." How can governments ensure that this occurs? Are financial penalties acceptable? Why or why not?

  2. In the exceedingly rare cases in which vaccines cause harm, the authors propose that those affected should be adequately compensated. What is fair compensation? Who should have the power to decide this?

Activity 3: Discuss – Write

As a class, we will review the claims made by the authors and discuss how they have constructed their arguments about proceeding with care in mandating vaccinations.

Review the notes from your reading groups about the section of the text you were assigned. Using the Evaluating Arguments Tool as a guide for a class discussion, evaluate how the authors chose to make arguments about proceeding with care in mandating vaccinations.

As you review the text section by section, use the following questions to guide your presentation to the class:

  1. What particular issues are the authors addressing in this section of the text?

  2. How might the authors’ backgrounds affect their argument’s perspective or approach? How does their language indicate a bias that affects the argument’s perspective or reasoning?

  3. What is the main claim presented in this section of the argument? How is the claim related to the headings of the section?

  4. What are some examples of how the authors use evidence to support their claims?

  5. In your opinion, do the authors make a compelling argument? Why or why not?

  6. What are the most compelling sentences the authors use to make their claims?

Activity 4: Write

We will use our notes about the text as well as from the class discussion to write a short paragraph outlining our own perspectives on parental refusal of vaccinations. We will model one of our sentences after one of the authors’ sentences.

Using the notes from the text as well as class discussions, write a paragraph that outlines your own perspective on the following question:

  1. Should parents be able to forgo getting their children vaccinated? Why or why not?

In your paragraph, be sure to do the following:

  • Present a claim that represents your response to the question and position on the issue.

  • Identify one key claim and one counterclaim related to your position.

  • Use specific examples and references from the text.

If you do not finish your paragraph in class, do so for homework.